Nightmare or Reality
by NCISVILLE
Summary: Tony and Pepper are suddenly kidnapped and Tony is continuously tortured but is it really real or just a figment if his imagination? Dedicated to Jimenush who wanted some Tony whump.


**Hey guys! So this story is dedicated to Jimenush who has been wanting some serious Tony whump. So I tried doing your idea Jimenush but it didn't turn out well and wasn't flowing. I wanted you to have something that I mainly is actually good. I hope you like it. **

**Nightmare or Reality**

All that could be heard was Tony's scream as they broke his arm. It echoed throughout the place in which they were being held. The best guess Pepper had was an old abandoned warehouse with the way his agonizing scream filled the air space around them. Tears streamed down her face as his cry resonated within her heart and mind.

They were both tied to chairs with their backs touching and blindfolded. They'd been torturing Tony for only five minutes but already she wanted to cave and give in just so they would stop torturing him. Of course the only reason they were was because of Tony and his big mouth. And the only reason she wasn't being tortured was because he had use his big mouth to sacrifice himself in order to keep her unharmed.

As tears continued streaming down her face Pepper cursed herself. Everything was her fault. Tony being tortured was her fault and the fact that she was in love with him made that realization hurt even more. If she had just listened to her mechanic and took her car in for a tune-up her radiator wouldn't have gone to hell and she wouldn't have called Tony for a ride and they wouldn't have been kidnapped. She couldn't see how anything wasn't her fault and she cried because Tony's body was taking a beating for her stubbornness.

"Come on man, is that the best you got? My best friend hits harder than that. " Tony panted through the numbing pain of his arm. So far they'd broken his arm, dislocated his shoulder on the same arm, given him a bloody nose, cut his face and bruised the hell out of his ribs, all within the time span of twenty minutes. But he very well couldn't let anything happen to Pepper. It was his fault Pepper was kidnapped with him. Ever since Iron Man had gone public he'd put a name to the face making him and everyone around him targets of all the people Iron Man had stopped. He couldn't let Pepper take abuse, it would kill him inside. He couldn't let the one person he truly cared about get hurt because of his alter ego. So every second they spent on him was one second that Pepper was out of the limelight.

"I can keep this up all night long Mr. Stark, now, what is the password to your company log in?"

"Well then I guess it's going to be a long night cuz I'm not giving you anything but my blood." Tony snarled and spit the blood from in his mouth in the general direction of his kidnapper.

"I would suggest playing nice Stark or I'll break our previous arrangement and start taking it out on the woman you're tied to."

Something primal arose in Tony and the noise he released was that similar to a deep, low, guttural growl. "You lay a finger on her and I'll snap your neck."

"Oh and how do you suppose you're going to do that? You're tied to a chair!" The man yelled throwing an angry punch that Tony's jaw caught.

"Go to hell." Tony said.

He heard the sound of skin meeting skin and heard Pepper's cry. A fury he had never known before rose up and he screamed in rage.

"Bastards! I'll kill every one of you!"

"Give us the password Mr. Stark."

"Tony don't do it." Pepper said shakily.

"Shut up! I would suggest not listening to her or the next thing you'll feel is a .22 caliber rolling around in your thigh. Now, I'm going to ask nicely one more time, what is the password?"

"Screw you." Tony said. He heard the gun fire but instead of feeling searing pain he heard a blood curdling scream. It hadn't come from him and the voice it belonged to chilled his spine. The man had shot Pepper. His heart screamed in agony that he had hurt her. They were supposed to hurt him, not her.

"No! Pepper!"

"She'll be fine for now, but if you don't give us the password, the next shot goes through her heart." The man said coldly. Pepper sobbed and Tony felt tears running down his face. He had to give it to them. He couldn't let them kill Pepper, not before he told her. Iron Man be damned, he didn't care if they took his password and all his company files and money. Pepper was worth so much more than that.

"No, please, I'll tell you just... Please don't hurt her again."

"See there we go! Now we're getting along." The man said enthusiastically. "The password please Mr. Stark."

"pepperpotts. One word all lowercase." Tony said in defeat. He felt Pepper tense and heard another sob come but he didn't know if it was because if the pain she was in or because of his password.

"And we're in! Excellent!" He said energetically. " Kenny, shoot her. "

Tony's blood froze. "No no no we had a deal!" He yelled panic evident in his voice.

"I don't care." The man said ruthlessly.

"I love you Tony." Pepper sobbed scared.

"I I I love you too Pepper, always."

"Aww, isn't that sweet. They've said their goodbyes, now Kenny." The man deadpanned.

A shot rang out and Pepper's sobs stopped immediately. "NOOO! PEPPER!" Tony yelled. He broke down and began weeping.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Tony bolted up in his bed panting, crying, and sweaty. As his nightmare hit him he began to sob. It all felt so real, the pain, the heartache, the terror that clasped his heart. He needed to see Pepper, to hold her immediately so he could see she was alive, unharmed. So he could tell her how he felt before it was too late. He didn't want to be alone at three am. That terror he felt still had a hold of his heart and he knew it wouldn't be abated until he had Pepper.

"JARVIS call Pepper, tell her I need her immediately, it's an emergency." He said shakily through his tears as he held himself on his bed and continued to cry.

"I couldn't get through Sir, shall I try again?" JARVIS asked not sensing Tony's desperate need for his assistant.

"Yes. Keep calling until she picks up."

After five minutes Tony finally heard JARVIS say, "Ms. Potts is on her way Sir, she'll be here in ten minutes."

Tony only nodded as he continued to sob. He couldn't stop, couldn't shake the feeling that Pepper was dead until he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a soft, worried voice ask, "Tony?"

He whirled around and his eyes went wide like saucers as he saw Pepper. He gripped onto her hand and pulled her on the bed to where he was holding her and that only made him sob harder.

"Shhh, it's okay Tony. It wasn't real." Pepper repeated soothingly. Truth be told Tony was crushing her in his arms but he looked do vulnerable and sounded so afraid she couldn't bear to tell him, so she let him just crush her to his chest.

It took twenty minutes for Tony to stop the waterworks completely and even then he didn't let go or loosen his grip.

"What happened Tony?" She asked softly moving her head slightly to try and look at his face.

"I had a nightmare. It...it was so real. I killed you." He said shakily trying to fight off the tears that were pooling in the corners.

"What? That's absurd." Pepper replied.

"Being Iron Man made you a target and they shot you." His voice cracked and some tears fell as his chest heaved sighs. "I killed you being Iron Man." He said as tears began to flow again.

"Hey, there's always a risk. But no one is going to kill me Tony. I know. I'm not due to die for another sixty years. " Pepper said trying to comfort him.

It took another five minutes for the tears to stop again and all that remained was the deep breaths that shook his body. "I love you...Pepper." Tony said softly breaking the silence.

"What?" Pepper asked in a whisper. Tony released his tight grip and held Pepper within arms length but so he could see her face.

"I can't keep it in, I don't want to. I want you to know, I don't want to wait to tell you until it's too late. I love you Pepper." He said again his eyes glassy from tears and puffy and completely red. He looked awful in the moonlight but Pepper didn't care.

She reached an arm around his neck and pulled him close. Their lips grazed each other and she murmured against them, "I love you too Tony." She pressed her lips to his and become lost in it. They fell back on the bed together wrapped up in each others' arms with their lips still locked.

"Stay with me till morning. I can't bear it without you, please don't leave me."

"I never planned on it. I'll be right here with you until you wake up to the sun shining." Pepper replied before kissing him again.

Tony soon fell asleep with Pepper in his arms pressed against him and all other nightmares were warded off by his beautiful red headed angel allowing him to get rid of the fear and sleep peacefully.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

**Sooo what did you guys think? Did you like it alright? Let md know in a review maybe? Pretty please :)**


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